How To Make a Modern Time Capsule

Time capsules are means of storing items and information to be uncovered in the far future. It could also be a way to communicate with people years or decades, or even centuries, from now. But with today’s advancing technology, most particularly with the means of digitally storing information, even time capsules are becoming things of the past. But that is no less reason to try them out, and you could use technology to your advantage to create a more modern version of the time capsule.

What you need:

A video recording device

A computer with a video recording program

Storage media and storage devices

1. Have a recording device ready. Install a video-recording program on your computer; also be sure to have a webcam or any gadget that could be used to record videos. A video camera would suffice if you don’t have access to a computer.

2. Select a retrieval date. Determine the time in the future before you and your family uncover the time capsule. Twenty-five or fifty years is good enough if you want to uncover the time capsule while you are still alive.

3. Gather the items and people you want to record. Select anything that is important to you, anything that means a lot to you, and include it among the list of items to be used for the project. The more you are unable to part with a certain object, the better it is to be included in the video. You may even include other people in your video such as friends, relatives, family members and even pets.

4. Start recording. Simply record videos of yourself in front of the camera. Make an impromptu speech or prepare for one. Talk about how life is like at the present period, and about your dreams and plans for the future. Take the items you chose earlier, hold them up in front of the camera with you one by one, and talk about each of them are important to you. Also, involve your friends and family members in your video. Talk about them, and have them talk a bit as well.

5. Keep the video file. Keep the video copy on CD or any storage device that can withstand the test of time and still be functional after many years. Time capsules are traditionally buried underground, and unearthed many years later. If you want to do the same, then you can store the CD in a watertight case and bury it in your garden. You can also use solid state media, such as memory cards or USB flash drives, although you must take care to keep these in airtight containers, so moisture will not seep in an corrode the device.

An advantage of modern technology s that you can have several back-up copies in case the original video file gets lost or damaged. The Internet can also be a good place to store backups of videos, particularly video sharing sites like YouTube (www.youtube.com).

6. Be patient. Continue on with life until the time comes to uncover the time capsule video.There is also the risk of forgetting about it, so be sure to keep the memory alive by keeping notes of the retrieval date.

The method of gathering a collection of personal items in a container and burying them is becoming outdated, but the idea of storing information for the sake of remembrance still continues on more modern forms. Modern time capsules work just as well as old ones, and give the same feeling of nostalgia of looking back at the past when uncovered.